( OPEN ) time is a symptom of love

[inwaits]

» WHO? Giselle + You
» WHEN? 5/18 - 5/20
» WHERE? deck 5, the observation deck, and near the locked areas
» WHAT? giselle deals with chronological inconsistencies, the creeping threat of alien life, and typical horror game protagonist plights
» WARNINGS? none, probably!

A) DECK 5 CREW QUARTERS

[ the cold, dull abrade of metal is enough to give anyone a start — it felt unfamiliar against her now warm skin, an unnatural coldness of the bone like being in a drafty manor late in autumn. that was a familiar sort of sensation, one that made her nostalgic for days long gone.

regardless, she could be sure of one thing — she was no longer in the mansion, unless she had traveled so far into the future that it barely resembled the dilapidated, creaky home she once attended to. her first thought is, weirdly, "where is my new master?" and nearly stops each person to ask if they own the place as they pass by, but she's smart enough to realize that this is a different situation entirely. she was no longer in morgana's dominion.

but michel..

she would find him. she was sure of that.

eventually, she does stop a wayward soul making their way through the cavernous hallways. ]

Um, excuse me. What year is it? I know that's, um.. an odd question to ask. [ her slender fingers reach forward to place a hand to her chest, and when she catches sight of them, she reaches them out farther, turning her hand in marvel. ] Oh.. Wow. I look different.

B) OBSERVATION DECK

Have you ever seen something so splendorous?

[ she's talking to you, of course, but it's also partially to herself. the observation deck was breathtaking — it was like being in a wizard's chambers, stars dancing on the ceiling and imparting some arcane knowledge that went right over her head. all she knew was it was beautiful, overwhelming, and hard to fathom. she was in the heavens. this is what the romans dreamed of, and here she was. she had to wonder what made her so special, that she had lived through so many centuries and eventually made it here, now.

she turns to the person next to her, smiling. ]

It makes you wonder.. are there other people out there, living like us? Maybe not just like us, as in they have homes, and in their homes, windows. [ god she missed windows. ] But, you know.. Other life. I've never thought about it. It's.. a little creepy. [ they didn't have to think about aliens in the ye olde middle ages, they were too worried about plagues and shit. ] L—Let's just go back to looking at the stars. That sounds better, doesn't it?

C) NEAR DECK 6 LOCKED AREA

[ upon meeting with morgana, she felt inspired. somehow, she always felt that way when she interacted with her. today's inspiration is pretty visible, given that giselle has wrapped a sheet around her waist and pinned it in place, resembling a long, draped skirt. it looks a little funny, paired with the top portion of the dull, baggy jumpsuit, and you have to wonder if she ripped the bottom half off to create this hodge-podge of an ensemble.. either way, her legs were free, and she had decided that men were tricked into thinking pants were somehow better than dresses and skirts.

seeing this odd woman fidgeting with the locked doors may raise some concern, and after a while of rapping and banging, she seems to give up with a heady sigh. ]

I wonder if there's some kind of key we need to find to get through here. [ she's from a horror game. of course she would think that. ] Oh! Hello. You wouldn't happen to know if there's a sewing machine of some kind anywhere? I'm more used to a needle and thread, but a machine would be much more efficient, don't you think?

D) WILDCARD

[ feel free to come up with your own prompt or discuss something with me! you can hit me up at vanilladome

Comments

c

[potentite]

[Gasp, another sheet woman. Though she lacks the same imposing aura and also skeleton hand as Morgana. Also she looks less like a ghost and more like she just tried really hard to do something fashionable(?). When she speaks, it does confirm it as probably the latter. He rubs the back of his neck in thought.]

Oh! Um, I haven't seen one but maybe we could whittle something down into a makeshift needle? Still leaves us looking for thread but...

[It's a start at least? And thread can't be to make probably??]

[inwaits]

That's crafty thinking! I like it. There's empty rooms, right? I'm sure I could use the fabric from unused bedding to make something manageable. Anything's better than this.

[ giselle wasn't a picky person, and she certainly wasn't used to luxuries, but this? this was an insult to the french. she was around for the birth and death of charles frederick worth and this was anathema to his name. ]

I think I'm getting restless, mostly. My mother used to say "idle hands are the devil's tools".

[potentite]

[He smiles and decides to tease her a little. Maybe it will cheer her up. She seems like a kind person after all.]

I don't think there are any devils around here, so we can put those tools to any use we want!

[inwaits]

While the devils are away, let the people hustle.

[ now she's just speaking in adages. it did make her feel better, though. a lighthearted attitude was the quickest way to make her worries disappear. ]

Hmm, that doesn't answer our little door problem though. The station seems to be much larger than what we can access now. I wonder if we're being locked in or locked out.

D

[iustitia]

[IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE WHERE GISELLE DID NOT TURN TO LOOK AT HER COMPANION BEFORE SPEAKING ON THE OBSERVATION DECK...

Terezi listens to Giselle's spiel with open ears. It is sort of weird to think about, isn't it? The idea that there's life out there among the stars. It's a lot more normal to her, being from a galaxy-spanning empire that regularly conquered other planets, but up until a few years ago, she'd never actually met another alien. That dubious privilege was usually reserved for the poor, low-blood cannon fodder in the military. Extraterrestrial life had always been far-off facts of life to her as a kid, and their existence is kind of amazing.

But the fact that Giselle is musing this within earshot of a someone from another planet is just too funny to pass up. She's got to mess with her a little.]

No, actually. Go back to telling me what you think alien life is like. I am so very curious!

[inwaits]

[ without turning around, because giselle's space life is a comedy of errors: ]

Oh, I have no idea.. hundreds of eyes, maybe?! And they're all over their bodies so they can see you from every possible angle. And wide, cavernous mouths like a bear's maw, except somehow scarier, and maybe even with a worse odor? I'm getting chills thinking about it!

[iustitia]

Ooh, that is nasty.

[Terezi nods appreciatively. This person's got a good imagination. She can respect that.]

I bet... [She taps a finger to her chin, thinking.] They've got long claws like sharp knives. Scaly, slimy skin that oozes as they walk. And great big horns coming out of their head, too! The kind you can gore people with.

[inwaits]

S—Stop, please, you're going to give me nightmares!

[ she shouldn't have even brought it up!! she's finally turning to terezi, and when she does.. well, she gasps, obviously. ]

Are you a witch? [ that's her first thought — despite their chatting about aliens, it was still a foreign concept to her. aliens, for all she knew, were just god's legion of angels waiting for the rapture in the heavens. it doesn't occur to her that terezi could be one. ]

c, i was going to take the d joke but my SKANK OF A PARTNER TOOK IT FIRST

[wingstosee]

[ it's another day, and another set of people showing up. she's honestly starting to worry - they're going to reach peak capacity eventually, right? what then? but thinking that far ahead sort of makes her head hurt, and besides, it's not like she's even remotely qualified to be the one thinking about it anyway. so she just... sort of drops it, trying her best to answer the woman's question in her own high tenor. ]

There's probably a key? I mean, sort of a key. Haru was saying it's probably an ID card, or something like that.

[ the other woman... hasn't exactly looked her way yet. she sort of glanced? so maybe wings are normal where she's from. or maybe she hasn't actually noticed yet. venus politely stays where she is across the room, waiting for an actual acknowledgment before she heads any closer. ]

And I don't really know much about sewing. Haha. [ to say the least. she's always kind of wanted to learn, though? ] But it seems like you should use whatever you're most comfortable with? That's what I think, at least.

smh you gotta be quicker to the punch

[inwaits]

Umm.. an ID card?

[ giselle had lived through many eras, but she had never encountered state of the art electronics. she would probably struggle to identify a telegraph. she was fidgeting a little more with the door before she turns to face her new companion. there's a small gasp when she does, then a cock of the head. ]

Well, that's a new one. I didn't think this was Heaven, but.. [ well, it would make sense if it was. ] I agree. Once I find the proper tools, I can make you something too if you'd like.

[ well, she's not too bothered by the wing business apparently! ]

[wingstosee]

[ well, her immediate reaction does give venus some hope - but when she mentions heaven, venus can't help but deflate a little. she bites her lip, and tries very hard to handle this better than she did with morgana. ]

I'm... not an angel. Sort of the opposite. [ a small, wan smile. ] Sorry. I know that probably doesn't help? But, um- if it helps, this isn't Hell. Or Limbo, or the afterlife, or- anything like that.

[ and then, because it's hard not to, she hesitantly offers: ]

...but if you're still okay with sewing something for me, I'd really love that? I, um. I don't have much to offer. Basically just alcohol.

[inwaits]

Oh, I see. No, it's no problem at all. It's.. relieving to know I'm not in Hell, though.

[ she was a demon of some kind.. well, no matter. she had been a staunch nonbeliever in the supernatural in years prior, but now she'd believe in anything. the proof was right in front of her. how could she deny it. ]

Of course! Just tell me what style you'd like. You don't owe me anything for that. Everyone deserves to have flattering clothes. Hm.. [ she looks venus up and down, sizing her up. ] I bet you'd be beautiful in a simple little dress! Maybe.. white? No, that would stain too easy in a dusty place like this.. I'll have to think about it.

a

[oculusriffs]

[man, some interesting people are popping up in space lately. Dave watches her marvel at herself for a minute before answering — and even though he is, infuriatingly, the time guy, he has no way of knowing what year it is without some sort of point of reference, either.]

[so he just gives the best answer he's got.]

That depends on who you're asking. Since you're asking me, though? 2012.

[inwaits]

2012?! Have things progressed this much in that amount of time?

[ she'd been with jacopo until the early 1900s, so she knew of some modern amenities, and knew that she was witnessing a time of intense technological growth. but still.. this was so beyond her imagination. ]

Are you.. displaced, too? [ in time, she means. it's hard to find the right words to use. ]

[oculusriffs]

You could say that. [he's not sure if displaced is the right word for him. his options are either here, where there is some implied time period, even if he doesn't know what it is, or back in his dream bubble, where time stops mattering altogether. if anything, going back to where he was would be the displacement.]

My turn to ask, though. What year is it for you?

[inwaits]

I don't know.

[ she sounds decisive and calm about that, like she was sure she had no idea. time got the best of her, and she had lived for such a long time with her eyes shut to her surroundings, only concerned with the task she had at hand. she remembers the turn of the 20th century.. but that's about it. it could have been 2012 for her for all she knows. ]

That probably makes my question seem pretty pointless. If it helps, I was born around 1000 years after Christ's death. I assume people still follow the gospel in 2012.

a

[bu773rfly]

[Erika is both the kind of person who needs a moment to adjust to being in a conversation and the kind of person who listens to the end of the question before replying. It puts her in a good position to just watch Giselle politely as she worries over the year, and then over her question, and then has a small revelation over the sight of her hand (which Erika follows her gaze to, too, wondering for a moment if there's something visibly wrong with it.)

Well, that's new.]

...Do you feel alright?

[inwaits]

I feel great, actually.

[ unusually show. her hands — they had a color to them that she hadn't seen in years. it isn't that something's wrong with it. quite the opposite, in fact. ]

Um, do I look fine? I'm not.. scary, am I?

[bu773rfly]

[que]

Not...especially? [Erika crosses her arms.] If you're not completely sure, we have a doctor around.

[She's trying to be helpful, in her muted, stubbornly-pushing-through-shyness way.]

WILDCARD

[fragmento]

[ the observation deck is mostly abandoned at this time of day, thankfully.

he greets her with something of a sigh, his arm reaching back to rub into his neck for a moment. eyes flickering to the side— ]

...No sign of the Frenchman yet.

[ not that she tasked him with keeping watch, but he's not...going to admit that he's been doing it of his own accordance anytime soon. ]

Have you...have you felt him in any capacity...? If that makes any sense, this entire thing is just...

[inwaits]

[ she doesn't even mind the epithet. she's just happy that jacopo seems to be showing genuine concern — and who wouldn't? michel had a way of touching lives, and his presence was an inherently good one. if the white haired girl signaled inevitable demise, michel's presence made everyone feel calm.

basically, they all stan michel. ]

Hmm.. It's hard to say. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. [ or if she's supposed to feel anything at all. the curse was over. the only guarantee was their reconstruction. she epers outside the observation deck, staring at the planet below them. ] But he'll come. I just know it. He may even be here already, just.. not here.

[ what if he was on the planet below? it wasn't so far away. it's possible he was there, and maybe maria, or mell, or pauline. ]

[fragmento]

...

[ his brows knit together. a foot taps against the tile beneath him, and his arms are folded as he ponders...this revelation.

it is worrisome, to say the least. he'll always be in that man's debt. and he knew well that he deserved to be with the woman he loved. ]

Morgana...ensured that you two would be together. So I have faith...that he'll return to you.

[ his gaze shifts to the side, yet again. ]

We should look into the territories around us, however. They spoke of space travel in the 1800s — do you remember that? There are still areas entirely unbeknownst to us...he could be amidst them.

b

[possidetur]

( vanessa's in a similar situation. this was something that she'd never considered before, though even if she weren't occupied by lucifer's assault she doubts that she would ever have considered being in space to be possible. or aliens )

I admit I hadn't thought that there may be others. Other planets of homes.

( if there were any people on the planet below. she lowers her voice, a playful edge to her voice )

How selfish of me.

( though she expects this woman to understand )

[inwaits]

It's difficult to judicious enough to see the big picture when you already have a lot on your plate. I'm sure you're the same as me.

[ that is to say, not foolish — they merely shared having too much to worry about to think about space life. ]

If there were people down there.. I'm sure they'd know we were here. That isn't to say they have a way of reaching us, but..

[possidetur]

If they could we may not even know.

( some here were certainly familiar and knowledgeable in this environment but many others were not. like the two of them )

Do you think they would be able to help?

( to answer the questions that many of them asked. how were they here? why? )